When a mysterious dossier of letters and photographs was discovered at an abandoned
Spanish villa, the author embarked upon a passionate journey to resurrect its owner
in this first comprehensive biography. Lauded by luminaries of his epoch, Baron Rudolph
von Ripper (1905-60) was an Austrian aristocrat and international wanderer with the
temerity to resist the tyrannical Third Reich - both as a soldier and an artist -
whilst the world was apparently coming to an end. Ripper's remarkable depictions
of human beings under duress reveal an artistic talent that stands comparison with
his contemporaries George Grosz, Otto Dix, and Käthe Kollwitz.

During the Cold War Ripper acted as a CIA agent and settled in Mallorca, his ‘haven
of peace and beauty’, closely pursued by his wartime enemies.

Sian Mackay lived in Egypt and the USA before returning to her native Scotland as
a freelance journalist with the Glasgow Herald and Times Educational Supplement.
Later she divided her time between Scotland and Spain and wrote several highly praised
books:

‘A terrific read, full of haunting images and beautifully paced.’

Elspeth Barker

‘Blends a biographer’s quest for historical truth with a novelist’sinsight and imagination...
strikingly original.’